


Blood Brothers - v.2.0

by Mystical_Light6



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Human Castiel, Hunters, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Team Free Will, Vampire Castiel, Vampire Dean, Vampire Sam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-01-23 21:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1580603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystical_Light6/pseuds/Mystical_Light6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean find themselves with a new friend and ally named Castiel, a man with a unique and hidden past. None of them are truly what they appear to be but together they have one goal in mind - to get back their lives that were unfairly taken away from them.</p><p>Hiatus as of 12/7/14 Sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost but Found

At a quarter passed two o'clock in the morning, the sky over Lebanon, Kansas suddenly opened up, pounding pellets of rain like bullets from high above. It began pouring so hard that the lonely and lowly man knew he needed to find some kind of easy shelter and soon. This was his third night in town and his sixth night without a true roof over his head. Shivering, he finally settled under the overhang of a closed restaurant, huddled in on himself as he waited still as a statue for the storm to at least partially let up.

He made sure to stick to the darkest shadows, that way no one would think to speak to him, not even the police. The city was just so full of living and breathing people. It was taking every single bit of his weakened self-control to not find someone (anyone) to fulfill his aching need.

Hoping to drown out the beating, pounding, noise, he covered his ears with his hands and hummed to himself his favorite song that always comforted him when he was a young child.

* * *

Driving since sundown, the Winchester brothers were on their way back to their place when they needed to stop for gas in the big city and maybe to take a quick leak depending on the state of the local Gas n' Sip's restroom.

They were returning home after a three day's long, exhausting hunt that had taken most of their energy and sapped it away. A break was definitely on the horizon and Dean definitely could not wait to sit back on the couch with a cool one and catch up on his DVR'd shows waiting for him thanks to Charlie's illegal, yet totally _not_ illegal, cable setup.

Sam came back from the bathroom and Dean was just pulling the gas nozzle out of the Impala's tank when he happened to take a look across the street and could've sworn he saw the shadow of a figure sitting in the dark, in the pouring rain.

"Dean? We going?" Sam asked, rubbing the drops of water from his eyes and stretching his back until it made a popping noise.

"Sammy, is there some dude across the street, hiding from the rain?"

Sam turned and looked, squinting a little through the drops and, yeah, there was definitely someone over there. The brothers had a silent conversation with their eyes and, as one, they walked across the street, leaving behind their car and walking through the rain to see if the stranger was in need of any immediate assistance. Sam stopped short and Dean skidded to a halt before he could walk into his back.

"What's wrong?"

Sam turned to his brother and turned back, sniffing the air. "We might have a problem..."

* * *

He went over the refrain for a fourth time and looked up upon hearing two sets of footsteps stopping before him. Slowly he lowered his hands and, with fear in his heart, said, "Good evening?"

"Um, good evening," the shorter of the two men (brothers, his senses supplied) said. "Is everything all right, dude? In case you didn't notice, it's sort of raining like the end of the world out here."

"I am...perfectly fine."

The taller one sniffed the air and minutely shook his head. Shorter nodded and made a move to reach for something in his back pocket.

Fearfully, he stiffened and...was handed a small, square handkerchief.

"Your face is totally soaked. Must be annoying."

He thanked the kind stranger and wiped some of the moisture from his face.

"Look, my name's Dean and this is my brother Sam. I don't think I can sleep tonight without knowing you had somewhere to go in bad weather like this."

"The men's shelter...."

"Nah,” Dean said quickly, “that's probably full. Especially on these kinds of nights."

"What my brother is beating around the bush about is, would you like a sturdy roof over your head? You know, instead of a plastic awning."

He was startled. "I am a stranger. You don't know anything about me and yet you want me to come to your home with you?"

"Well, like I said," Dean said, scratching his head, "you might catch your death on a night like this."

He hesitated and then slowly got to his feet, Sam helping him to stand, his hand lingering in his own and 'oh'.   _Oh_

"You okay?” Sam asked. “Lightheaded?"

"Um, a little. Didn't get anything into me all day."

"You hungry?" Dean asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Low blood sugar."

"Yeah," Dean muttered, giving his brother a dark look, "blood sugar."

"Well, I'm still getting soaked," Sam said pointing across the street, "You've been sitting out here for, what, hours? Let's just get back to the car and go. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Very well."

The three men exited the alley and ran across the street to get into the waiting black car.

"Nice vehicle."

"Thanks," Dean said, smiling.

"Hey, um dude?" Sam asked. "What's your name?"

"Castiel," he said, "my name is Castiel."

Everyone got into their seats and Dean exited the lot and headed out to the highway. "So...Castiel? That's an _interesting_ name."

"It means 'My Cover is God', according to my parents. Came to them in a dream apparently."

"So, you religious?"

Castiel shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head against the window. "There might be a God out there. I know there are other strange things afoot."

"Afoot, Cas? Seriously?"

"So, Cas - can I call you Cas?" Sam asked, glaring at his brother.

"You may."

"You been in town long?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Castiel counted back. "I have been in the central US for about a week."

"Why Kansas?" Dean asked.

"I wanted to get away."

Sam and Dean both shared a look and the rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

At four, the Impala pulled up into the garage of a smart looking ranch house just outside of Lawrence.

"You have a lovely home," Castiel said, slamming his door shut.

"Hey, easy with Baby."

"Baby?"

"Dean..." Sam sighed.

Dean gave the car a subtle rub before everyone trooped to the front door and Dean let them in. "Make yourself at home," he said, dropping his keys on the table next to his door and Sam and him removed their wet jackets and hung them on the rack above it.

"You can put yours there too, Cas."

Castiel removed his own, now threadbare due to the elements coat and hung it up. His mind came to a conclusion but he really needed to ask if it was all right with them.

"May I...?" he began to say and broke off, suddenly unsure.

"May you...?" Dean repeated.

"May I trouble you for use of your shower?"

Dean made a face and shrugged his shoulders. "Knock yourself out. Down the hall, third door on the left."

Castiel nodded his thanks and left to find the bathroom.

Sam and Dean waited until he was out of direct earshot before making their way to the lower level of the house, the level where they really lived.

"You thirsty?" Dean asked.

Sam let out a yawn and nodded. "I could drink."

Dean got to the downstairs refrigerator and removed two, seven inch plastic packets full of red liquid.

"Think Cas wants one, too?"

* * *

The shower was a refreshing burst on his cold skin. Castiel turned off the water and stood straight, staring at the tiles and thinking hard about how he ended up without a home.

These boys, whoever they were, were the first to offer him any kindness in days. Or, they were the first that he'd actually allowed rather than the others whom he'd made getaways from as soon as he was spotted. Somehow, he knew exactly what their game was. Mainly because, that was the game he was playing too. He would have to face them, and soon.

_Knock Knock_

"Hey, Cas?" Dean called through the door. "I've got some spare clothes for you. Your others are in the wash right now."

"Thank you, Dean. You may leave them beside the door and I will exit the shower and change into them."

"Okie-dokie. Sammy and I are downstairs so, when you're done, you can meet us there."

"Thank you." Castiel wiped his wet face with his hand and pulled back the shower curtain. His stomach cramped and Castiel almost collapsed, the only thing keeping him from crashing to the ground being that he grabbed onto the counter to hold himself up. His mouth was feeling sore tonight. Staring into the mirror, Castiel wiped the glass until he could see his face. After a week, it still surprised him that he could see himself reflected back despite everything the books and movies tried to tell him otherwise.

Castiel got dressed in the comfy pajama pants and white tee-shirt and exited the bathroom, searching until he found the stairs leading to the lower level.

"Dean?" he called out once he was on the lower level. "Sam?"

Castiel suddenly stopped short because he smelled something nearby. It wasn't something that most people could immediately recognize, but Castiel knew what it was and his stomach cramped once again.

Wanting. Needing.

He turned the corner and came upon a refrigerator unit that reeked of the stuff hidden inside. God, he was just _so hungry_. Putting his hand against the handle, Castiel stopped for a moment to think this through. Why did a refrigerator, in the middle of two guys’ house, smell of copper and life?

"Cas."

Castiel slowly turned around to see the two brothers standing behind him (how had he not heard them approach?) and holding in their hands two empty packets that he knew at least a few minutes beforehand contained at least a pint of blood, each.

"You hungry, Cas?" Dean asked and Castiel found himself nodding his head, looking down at the floor in shame and sadness.

Dean came forward and gave him a pat on the back before reaching in to the fridge and removing a pint for Cas himself. Castiel took it and, without wasting any time, tore into the package with his teeth and drank.

"It’s okay, Cas," Dean said, now patting him on the shoulder, "We'll keep you safe here." 

 


	2. Visited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit from a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tag added: Bobby Singer
> 
> Alrighty. So, here is the next chapter of this redone story. Again, similar to the previous story but just enough different that it fits with the theme I'm going with. I wish I had more to say but unfortunately I don't. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.

The next morning (or evening), Castiel woke up on a green couch, his back stiff from the lumpy cushions he'd laid on. He was alone now which meant that the brothers had likely gone into their own bedrooms at some point to sleep too. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and decided to try and find out if there was a bathroom downstairs because he really needed to take a leak and soon.

He arrived at the first door he found and opened it to discover - a linen closet. The next door over revealed a closet full of board games.

"What the - ?"

The following door was locked which either meant it was one of the brother's rooms or it was a place where he or anyone wasn't allowed to go.

_"So how long...?"_

_"Have we been 'Creatures of the Darkness'? What is it, Sammy? Going on two years?"_

_"Yeah, right after Dad..."_

_Castiel looked down at his feet and sighed. "Two weeks ago, I was coming home late from one of my night labs on campus. I was (he scratched behind his ear) going for my doctorate in medicine. Pediatrics.  I was jumped at a bus stop - my usual stop and..."_

"Cas?"

Castiel turned and Sam was standing in the doorway of what was no doubt his bedroom, his hair incredibly disorderly and he was yawning.

"Hello, Sam," Castiel said, now stepping away from the door he was trying to open. "I was wondering if there was a bathroom down here or do I need to go back upstairs to that one with the shower?"

"What?" Sam asked and then his brain slowly caught up with him. "Right. Um, we have bathrooms attached to our bedrooms down here. You can use the one in mine."

"Thank you."

Sam walked back into his own room and Castiel walked in behind him and stopped at the entrance. Sam's room looked...calm. The walls were painted a light, pale blue and there were a couple of photos hanging on the wall in frames. A couple with himself and Dean, a couple with an older man and himself and one single picture of a pretty blonde girl with long wavy hair and a wide smile. Castiel quickly got his business done and came back out to find Sam with his head face down on the pillow again.

"Sorry about my brother," Dean said from the doorway, scaring Castiel for a second. "He likes his sleep."

"Dean, please if you would..."

"Have a good sleep, Cas?" Dean asked while scratching his head. "Gotta be better than lying out in the street, right?"

"Despite your couch -"

"Hey, I picked out that beauty!"

"It was good," Castiel said with a calming sigh. "I haven't sleep that well in a long, long time. Thank you."

"Well good 'cause, if you want to, you can hangwithusfornow."

"Beg pardon?" Castiel asked, confused and leaning forward.

Dean sighed and looked at his sleeping brother for a second. He looked back at Castiel and said, "Stay with us, man. We'll keep an eye on each other. You're still new. Dangerous."

"I'm dangerous?"

"Frankly," Dean said, stepping away from the door and waiting for Castiel to follow, which he did after a second. "Frankly, I'm surprised that nothing in the papers said anyone is exsanguinated or dead if you were there for over a week."

Crossing his arms, Castiel asked in a low voice, "How do you know I don't know how to hide a body?"

“Pediatrics? Yeah, you know more than enough about body functions, I don’t doubt.”

"Some people are still trying to sleep," Sam called from his room.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut it, Sleeping Beauty."

"Dean,” Castiel asked when they were a distance away, “why haven't I gone after anyone?"

They stopped once again in the living area with the couch and each took a seat on either end of it.

Leaning his head against the back cushion Castiel said quietly, "I can _feel_ this - this dark energy in me, Dean. It’s….how can you stand it?"

Dean frowned and looked up to the ceiling. "With new ones and their…blood lust. Damn it. Sammy and me – we haven’t seen a lot of our kind since turning. Been avoiding them really. I never even saw one in person until I was, like, twenty-six. They were just, legends. Y'know, I always thought vamps were just extinct. Or really good at hiding."

"I'm guessing it's the latter."

"Well, my brother and me live in a basement. That alone..."

Castiel chuckled and sighed to himself.

"You okay now?" Dean asked, sounding hopeful.

"A little hungry."

Dean smacked Cas on the knee and got up. "Let's get a little breakfast then and we can talk a little more after.”

Castiel nodded. "I'd like that."

* * *

A few hours later, after everyone had eaten and showered, the three of them were seated in front of the television when the doorbell upstairs rang.

"That'll be Bobby," Dean said, leaving the marathon of Doctor Sexy he'd forced them to watch so he could answer.

"Bobby?" Castiel asked.

"He's a friend of the family,” Sam said, watching Castiel’s reaction. “Sort of like an uncle."

They listened as Dean greeted the man ("How the hell are you, Old Man?" "Better'n you, Idjit.") and then Sam and Castiel stood as they came down the stairs.

Bobby was an older man. He looked kind, friendly as his eyes caught sight of Castiel's. He nodded his head to him and asked, "This the guy?"

"That's the one. Cas, come meet Bobby Singer - hunter extraordinaire."

Castiel came forwards and shook Bobby's extended hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, son."

Castiel instinctively stiffened and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His behavior did not go unnoticed by anyone and Bobby nodded before turning back to Dean.

"So, shall we all sit down and chat?"

"Yup."

Everyone returned to the couch, Bobby (after greeting Sam) took a seat in the La-Z-Boy recliner and it was then that Castiel noticed the shoulder bag slung over his body. From out of it, Bobby pulled a pad of paper and a pen. The paper already had a few notes written on it and from his vantage point Castiel could just make out his name and a few other little things.

"If you don't mind, Castiel, I have a few things I'd like for you to clarify if that's all right."

"Sure," Castiel murmured, eyeing the brothers before looking to their friend. Bobby started talking.

"Your full name is Christopher Castiel Novak and your birthdate is October 9, 1975."

“Castiel is your middle name? Why would you go by that one?” Dean asked.

"It was unique," Castiel said, surprised, "How do you -?"

"You're from a suburb of Boston. Your mother's name is Patricia and your father's name is Charles. You have two older adopted siblings and then there's you."

"Yes,” Castiel repeated. “How -?"

"You were studying pediatric medicine in downtown Lawrence, at Kansas University Medical Center before you disappeared for several days. The boys found you at the gas station in downtown Lebanon -"

"Stop!" Castiel said, finally putting his hands up and staring at everyone in the room. "How? How do you have all of this information already? I only just met Sam and Dean less than twelve hours ago."

"Well," Dean said, rubbing his hand against the back of his head, "after you fell asleep, we gave Bobby a ring, telling him that we had someone he needed to look into."

"You didn't believe me when I told you my story?" Castiel asked, a little hurt.

"Well, you've gotta see it from our side, Cas," Sam said, "We haven’t run into a lot of our kind but there’s always some kind of pattern. Some bloody trail that leads to them being caught and taken care of. But you. You, who claim to have not taken a life yet after more than a week after being turned? We needed to look a little deeper, just to see if things were, well, legit."

"Anything else, Bobby?" Dean asked.

Bobby rummaged around in his bag, putting the papers back inside. "We can do this another time, I suppose," he said with a sigh.

"All right then. Thanks for coming."

"Nothing better than driving out almost six hours for a fifteen minute visit. Where else do I have time to think?"

He nodded to the boys, looked pointedly to Castiel and then left up the stairs with Sam following him this time.

"Who was that man really?" Castiel asked.

"A friend from before,” Dean said. “We stayed by his place after - after our dark time and he helped us through it. He's the one who supplies us, y'know."

"He smells of sadness and grief - let alone alcohol."

"He's a hunter so, naturally, it comes with the territory."

Puzzled, Castiel leaned his head slightly to the side and asked, "Hunter? What kind of hunter?" 

* * *

Standing under the streetlamp across the street, a single figure watched as the elder hunter exited the house with a vampire following him close by.

“So, do you buy it?” the vampire asked.

The old man shrugged his shoulders and removed an internet article from his bag and handed it to him. He read through it quickly and looked up while trying to think of something to say.

“What I think is that, at the very beginning, a vampire needs to feed otherwise they don’t stay a vamp for long. He fed. I just don’t think he remembers it.”

“Probably blocked it out.” The vampire sighed and extended his hand to the hunter who shook it. “Stay safe, Bobby.”

“You two as well.”

“Three.”

“You’re intent on keeping him then?”

The vampire shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his head like a child unsure of if he’s making the right choice but making it anyway.

“What can I say? We like the guy. There’s something about him that just fits with our little group.”

“I’m not going to try and talk you out of it, son. Keep an eye on him – you don’t want him going out there and slaughtering a church or anything.”

The two men shook hands and the figure under the streetlamp frowned and bit the inside of his cheek before vanishing as if he’d never been there to begin with.

 


	3. Shoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How they were turned

"I'm sorry, but you need to repeat to me what you just said."

Dean sighed and looked to the ceiling for guidance. "Again?"

"Yes, again." Castiel leaned slightly forwards from his seat on Dean's bed and waited.

"There are...people out there who hunt monsters."

Castiel felt the goosebumps crawling up his arms. "People are just out there hunting us. Hunting me?"

"Look," Dean said, putting his hands up and trying to calm the freaked out guy, "like we said, you stick with us and we're already one step ahead of the really bad guys."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better."

"That's why Sammy and I are going to train you up. Make sure that you can defend yourself. Y'know, outside of the other way you can...defend..."

Castiel turned his head so that he was looking down at the floor as he wiped his nose.

"Cas," Dean said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "It's going to be okay."

"How can you really even say that?" Castiel asked. "I'm a...I'm a monster, Dean. The purpose of my species is to kill people, draining them of their life, their blood, to fulfill some sort of sick need. My body literally craves it."

"You're new, Cas. You need to learn how to dial it back fifteen notches so that you can function without that thirst. We had to learn it the hard way, remember?"

_"We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were out, celebrating, when I flirted with the wrong chick who brought me back to her place which ended up being some kind of boarded up factory. I went along with it. Honestly, I thought she was a little kinky._

_“She brings me inside and, man, this was the one time I wasn't packing. My dad would be so pissed at me for being so short sighted. I go along with it, right up until the part when this man shows up. He was tall. Wearing a suit. He thanked the girl for bringing me and there wasn't anything I could do. I had nothing, not even a knife. I tried fighting him off - he laughed and fed me from his wrist._

_“After that, I blacked out and the next thing I knew, I was making my way back to the motel room. Sam was already back in the room, fast asleep on his bed and -"_

_"I can take it from here, Dean."_

_Dean nodded to him and Sam continued._

_"I was asleep. Just barely I heard the door to our room slam open and Dean just collapsed. I tried reviving him and then this - this guy walks in the room and says that Dean is his now. I made a move to go to my duffle when the guy catapults himself across the room to block me. Y'know, all catlike and gracefully. Next thing I know, he's got me on the ground and...Well, the rest kind of goes without saying. He let us into his nest. He guided us and we - we were his children. We had a Father again in a way. Family even. And then one day we just woke up..."_

Castiel knew Dean was right and, hell, he probably would be able to help him learn to defend himself.

"So where do we start?"

Dean smiled and Cas waited for the other shoe to drop.

* * *

"You have a shooting range in your basement?"

Dean shrugged and said nonchalantly, "We had a weekend off. Okay, your earplugs in place?"

"What?"

"Very funny," Dean said, rolling his eyes and turning Castiel bodily until he was facing the target.

"Take your best shot and we'll talk about it in a second."

Castiel gave Dean the side-eye before sniffling the air, aiming and firing. Both men stared at the bullet hole, just outside of the third ring of the target.

"Not bad," Dean said, impressed.

"I suppose that I should inform you that I have done something similar to shooting in the past."

"You have?"

"Do you remember a video game called 'Duck Hunt?’”

Dean groaned and Castiel couldn't help but smile.

"You're insane, Cas."

"I've been told. Shall we try it again?"

* * *

Dean let Castiel have the extra guestroom just a few doors down from his own room.

"So, not ready yet to run off screaming?" Dean asked from the door.

"No. When the alternative is being on the streets, it's nice to have friendly people nearby."

"Well, if you can't sleep, we've got a closet full of -"

"Board games, I know."

"That was, um, Sam's idea."

"Uh-huh," Cas said, clearly not believing him.

"It was. Well anyway we've got another one that's all full of books."

Frowning, Castiel looked away. "I didn't find that one."

"Well, it's right next to Sammy's room so try to be a little discrete - he's a light sleeper."

"Very well. Thank you, Dean."

"Good night, Cas."

"Good night."

Dean shut the door on his way out and Castiel laid back on the blue comforter, his legs dangling off the edge. He closed his eyes and thought back as he drifted off.

_The bus was late tonight. He checked his watch and for the first time in two years, the 9:30 was fifteen minutes late. Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel saw someone standing under the streetlamp not moving with their arms crossed. They were probably waiting for their dealer or something._

_Crouching in on himself, Castiel turned and suddenly there was a girl sitting on the bench next to him who wasn’t there a second before. He jumped but hoped she didn't see._

_"Did I frighten you?" she asked, voice a little breathy._

_"No. Nope."_

_The girl licked her lips and smiled coyly at him, batting her eyelashes._

_"Okay, maybe a little."_

_The girl chuckled and slid herself so she was sitting closer to him, her leg touching his. Goosebumps erupted over his body. He could feel the coldness of her skin leaking into his body from the simple touch. He wasn't surprised though, seeing how little she was wearing - form-fitting bustier, short, leather skirt, fish-net stockings, thigh-high boots and piercings and tattoos all over her body. It was a sharp contrast to Castiel's attire - button down white shirt, dress pants, black shoes and an overcoat._

_"Going to meet friends?" Castiel asked._

_"Yeah," the girl said, "or something like that."_

_Castiel watched her bite her lip, her body fidgeting so much that she looked about ready to bolt._

_"You okay?"_

_"Fine. I'm fine."_

_Then Castiel heard something that sounded suspiciously like a snarl and turned to her to see what was wrong. From out of her gums, a second set of teeth descended. They were sharp and monstrous. She screeched at him this time and Castiel, frightened beyond words, jumped up and ran. He got as far as the end of the block when someone stood in his way._

_"Hello, boy," a large male in a suit with a bald head and long, curved fingernails said with gladness._

_Castiel gasped and moved to run but the man grabbed him by the neck and held him in place. He slowly let go of him but, strangely, Castiel found himself still unable to move._

_"I apologize about the state of my little, feral child. She was just a little hungry."_

_The man licked his lips and Castiel shut his eyes, fearing what was going to happen next._

_"You are a very handsome man, you know. Beautiful. There is something almost...angelic about you."_

_Castiel sensed that the man had leaned in closer to him, his breath cool on his face. Slowly, Castiel opened his eyes and the man smiled at him, first without showing a hint of his teeth. Then, the second set, just like the girl's, descended into place and he bit into the side of Castiel's neck. He forced Castiel down onto the wet street, taking his fill and then stopping. Blearily, Castiel opened his eyes and the man was forcing something into his mouth._

_"Find me when you are ready, child."_

_Castiel could've sworn he heard something after that and then felt someone touch him gently on the forehead._

_"Castiel...is that really you?" a phantom voice whispered. "Castiel..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait. I've been dealing with some finale feels (which might appear on this site soon) and now had the time to really sit down and edit. Hope you are all still enjoying the story. More to come soon.


	4. Charlie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Winchester friend comes to visit

Castiel was always awake by 5:30. It didn't really surprise him - even as a regular human he was always an early riser. He knew the brothers wouldn't even be awake for another hour or so, so there was nothing left to do but find that closet of books to occupy himself with and relax until the tornado struck. Castiel showered (thankfully, even his room had an attached bathroom) and exited his bedroom and shut the door quietly behind him. There was light snoring coming from within Dean's room so at least he was sleeping comfortably. When Castiel reached the door next to Sam's bedroom, he just barely touched the handle when Sam's own door flew open and Castiel flew backwards into the far wall.

"Sorry, Cas," Sam said with a chuckle.

"It's quite all right," Castiel responded, getting his breathing in order. "Did I wake you again?"

"What? No," Sam said, shaking his head. "No, I was just going to go for a run."

Belatedly, Castiel looked at the man to see him wearing sweatpants and a light tee-shirt. He had an iPod clipped to the waistband of his pants and running shoes on his feet.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Enjoy yourself."

"Maybe you can join me one day?" Sam asked.

"Maybe. I have enjoyed running for exercise in the past."

Sam waved to him as he ran up the stairs. Castiel stood staring for a minute before remembering what he was looking for and opening the closet. Dean wasn't kidding. Every inch of the closet (and it was a deep closet) was full of different sizes and shapes of all manners of books. Novels and non-fiction. How to books and ancient looking books that appeared to be about other supernatural creatures.

Buried at the bottom of the bunch though was an old, large tome that immediately caught Castiel's eye. He grabbed it with two hands and pulled so hard that his backside hit the floor and the book fell open on his lap. Castiel coughed out the dust that settled into his lungs and looked down to see a colored image of the Nativity. There, lying in a manger was the baby Jesus, his parents, the three wise men, some animals, a shepherd boy...and an angel. Castiel mindlessly traced the side of the angel's wing when, before he could move, Dean appeared, gun in hand, looking like he'd just gotten up and moved into action.

"I heard a thump? What's attacking us?"

"Um, nothing?" Castiel answered, sitting up and closing the book on his lap.

Dean stood straight and sniffed, lowered his gun and sheepishly scratched his head. He looked down at the book Castiel was clutching and stifled a laugh.

"The Bible? Really?"

Castiel opened and closed his mouth before pushing the book off to the side.

"You going back to sleep?" he asked instead, getting up to stand.

Dean looked back in his bedroom and shook his head. "Nah. Why don't you put back the 'Good Book' and we'll have a little drink for breakfast?"

Castiel rubbed his stomach and nodded. "Sounds good to me." 

* * *

At seven that evening, after they were all showered and dressed, there was a knock on the front door upstairs. Sam excused himself to answer it and a few minutes later he came down with a short, red-headed girl that Castiel immediately wanted to sink his teeth into.

"Greetings, Bitches," the girl said before noticing Castiel and flinching.

Dean turned to him and gave him a slight push. "Hey, she's a friend. Cool it, Cas."

"He new?" she asked, looking up at Sam.

"Yeah. Charlie, this is Cas. Cas, this is our good friend Charlie Bradbury."

"It is...a pleasure to meet you," Castiel forced himself to say.

"Right back attcha," she said with a smile.

"Cas, maybe you should wait in your room until Charlie leaves -"

"No. If she is your friend and...and human then I must learn to interact with her."

Dean turned back to his friend. "You okay with this Charlie?"

"As long as he doesn't hurt me..."

Dean put a firm hand on Cas' shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "We'll keep a close eye on him."

Cas knew that Dean wasn't lying. Obviously this girl was very important to them.

Somehow, three hours later, the four of them were in the middle of an intense battle on the Wii she'd brought and hooked up to their television.

"I am the king of this game," Dean said, easily beating the three of them for the fourth time in a row.

"What the hell, Dean," Charlie exclaimed, throwing down her controller.

"It's all about the skills."

"Okay, well, I'm thirsty," Sam said, standing and starting to walk away. "I'll be right back."

That left Charlie alone with Dean and Cas. Dean was in the center seat of the couch with Cas and Charlie on either side of him.

"So, um, Cas?" Charlie said, fixing her sleeve and not looking him directly in the eye.

"Yes?"

"So you're, uh, like the brothers then, huh?"

Castiel shifted in his seat and crossed his legs, also not looking. "If by that you mean a blood sucking creature of darkness - then, yes."

Charlie turned and huffed out a laugh. "I wouldn't exactly call you a creature of darkness. You seem more like, like a puppy."

"Puppy?" both Dean and Cas said at the same time with both a mixture of confusion and humor.

"Oh come on, Dean. You don't see it?"

"See what?"

Charlie gave him a look. "You find this random dude in the middle of nowhere and you bring him home after figuring out he's just like you. And he's nice. You're like, some missing piece of the puzzle. There's something special about you."

She directed that comment right to Castiel and he floundered for a second before managing to blush and mumble a quiet, "Thank you."

“Yeah. A blushing, creature of darkness.”

* * *

Charlie stuck around until nearly daybreak. Everyone was utterly exhausted for separate but valid reasons.

"Natural insomniac," Charlie said after Castiel questioned her about her ability to keep up with them, pace for pace, into the wee hours of the morning.

She gave each of the brothers a hug and then turned to Castiel and gave him one as well. Castiel's head ended up right in the crook of her neck and he took one tentative sniff before pulling himself away and giving her a closed mouth smile.

"Take care of yourself, Ms. Middleton," came out of Castiel's mouth just seconds before he realized that wasn't the last name the brothers' had told him she had earlier. Charlie's eyes widened and she gasped.

"What?" Dean asked, confused. Sam frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"That's...nothing. Nothing. He said...absolutely nothing - so., I'll just be....I'll just be going. Cas. Boys."

Charlie shouldered her way passed them and walked up the stairs, tucking some hair behind her ear as she went.

" _What_ was that about?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam said, turning to Castiel. "Cas?"

 "It was weird," Castiel murmured. "I looked her in the eye and I just....knew. I knew her name. I knew who she really was, what she was hiding. Her fears, her hopes, her lifespan."

He turned to the brothers.

"I knew everything about her in a single glance. What does that mean?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. <3


	5. Comparing Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preview of Destiel to come and the story of after Sam and Dean were turned.

_He was walking down a flight of stairs. Down. Down. Down into a…a crypt. When he reached the very bottom and his shoes made a gentle tap-tap sound on stones, he looked up and there surrounded by nothing but torchlight stood Dean. He was wearing a dark suit, black shirt and black tie. He looked...handsome._

_"Cas, you made it," he said, coming closer to him, standing before him._

_He smiled and put a hand against Castiel's shoulder and pulled him towards his body. His lips barely touched his own before_ the loud crash from somewhere outside of his bedroom pulled him from his sleep and Castiel jumped up in his bed and sighed.

"Dean, what the hell? Seriously?"

Oh. The brothers were awake.

"What? I didn't see a box. It was dark."

"You have super, vampire vision,” Sam sputtered. “You couldn't have missed it!"

"Fine. I didn't want to wake up Cas. Happy?"

Castiel got up out of his bed and opened his door to find the brothers fully dressed and apparently trying to go up the stairs with the least amount of noise possible which was ruined by Dean walking straight into a cardboard box that was sitting in the middle of the hallway.

Sam had a duffle bag clutched in his hand and looked between Castiel and his brother.

"Dean, I've gotta get moving if..."

"I know. Sammy; just go and we'll talk later."

Sam smacked his brother pleasantly on the shoulder and waved to Castiel before running up the stairs, grabbing a set of keys and shutting the door behind him.

"Where is he going?" Castiel asked.

"Got a case. It's only a one man job so Sam volunteered to check it out. All goes well, he should be home by the weekend."

"Seems an awfully long time to be leaving the nest."

In hindsight, he had no idea what made that word come to his mind. The word came easily to Castiel and he felt a shudder down his spine just thinking about it. This was a nest of their kind, truly.

Dean sighed and turned away from Castiel, asking, "You sleep okay?"

"I slept adequately. You?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Not bad."

They fell into silence once again before Castiel decided to speak.

"I'm going to drink a little and..."

"Knock yourself out, man."

Castiel looked back at Dean as he walked away. Dean didn't look before going back into his own bedroom and shutting the door and locking it.

* * *

Dean didn't come back out until many hours later, nearly daybreak. Castiel met him at the refrigerator and crossed his arms, waiting for the man to say something. When it didn't appear that Dean was going to say a word, Castiel was the one to ask, "What is going on with you today?"

"Nothing," Dean said defensively and he grabbed a packet from inside and opened it to take a drink.

"Why were you hiding in your bedroom, Dean?"

"Was cleaning some weapons and didn't want to be disturbed," he said, taking a swig.

Castiel didn't know if Dean was telling the truth or not. He didn't have x-ray vision after all.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Dean said with a smirk, trying to diffuse the situation that they'd fallen into.

Castiel had half a mind to rip his head off but instead he took a deep breath and relaxed himself. "Dean."

"What?"

"Would it…would it be possible for you to tell me a bit more about what it was like when you and Sam were both turned?"

Dean stopped in place and frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

Castiel shrugged and looked him level in the eyes.

"I don't think - I don't want to go into it right now. It's still too fresh in my head and it's not something I want to live through again so..."

Ever the peacemaker, Castiel nodded and said, "Its fine, Dean."

"It is?" Dean asked, surprised.

"Yes, Dean. You can tell me about it whenever you are ready. I merely asked because, I'm not sure. Maybe because I wanted to compare experiences."

"Well, I can tell you that you are definitely one of the unique ones. Sammy and me...damn, this is hard."

Dean rolled his eyes to the ceiling and forced himself to continue.

"Sammy and I were like your classic run of the mill vamps. At first, the bloodlust...damn it, it was so freaking strong. It was like hunting, only for the other team. We'd...we'd butcher anyone who got within fifteen feet of us and...and...Bobby found us after a couple of months. Got a tip off another hunter in the area."

Castiel nodded and to tried to be a subtle about it as possible. He knew that this was a very difficult conversation for Dean to be talking his way through. He was doing just fine so far.

"We ended up going after _them_. We killed the one hunter and then when we saw Bobby...we didn't even recognize him at first. It'd only been a few months and already we'd fallen so far to the dark. We attacked, he fought back. Man, I don't even know how it happened but somehow he got the upper hand on us and brought us back to his place after drugging us with some D.M.B."

"D.M.B?"

"Dead Man's Blood - Later. Um, where was I?"

"Bobby got you."

Dean nodded to himself. "Right. Anyway, Bobby has this panic room in his basement, just finished, and he stuck us in it and then, every day for, I don't know, a few months (our time was pretty skewed then so it might’ve been more or less), he starts bringing us packets of blood. Two square meals really. We didn't know where he got it and he didn't tell us. There were a few bad moments. I got him once on the arm; left a nasty, jagged scar."

"Bobby seems to have forgiven you though."

"He's a tough guy. He knew us when we were just kids and we’re the only thing he has left that can be considered family."

"You should learn how to forgive yourself. It was not your fault."

“Technically it was. I was the idiot who fell for the girl and got turned first.”

“It doesn’t matter though, Dean. You decided that enough was enough. Bobby was your friend and you pulled on the strength of your own spirit and said ‘No more.’”

Silence reigned for the moment but Dean slowly nodded to himself. He wiped a hand against his forehead and turned to walk away. Castiel wanted to stop him but didn't. It was difficult to relive the past, especially one so dark. Instead of returning to his bedroom, Dean took a seat on the couch in front of the television and turned on the game system that Charlie had left for them to use.

Dean turned to Castiel and asked, "You wanna play a little?"

Castiel nodded slowly and took a seat beside him.

* * *

Dean's phone began to ring when they were in the middle of an intense game of Mario Kart. He paused it, walking away from Cas without saying anything ("What the hell, Dean?") and went into his bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Hey Sammy, stopping to rest?"

"Yeah. Twenty-two hour drives kill my back, y'know."

"Oh, I do."

"We're doing the right thing, right?"

Dean wasn't even so sure anymore. "We've gotta see what we can find out man. There's something about him that we're just not...."

"Seeing. Yeah, I hear you. Okay, I'm going to take a rest. Call you when I'm closer."

"'K Sammy. Stay safe."

"You too."

Dean closed his phone and, with his hand fisted around it, brought it to lean against his forehead before he left the room and went back to the waiting Castiel.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Dean said, taking the game off pause and promptly launching a blue shell at Cas' Princess Peach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. I still hope you're liking the new direction, old readers. And welcome again to those reading this for the first time. You'll find out where Sam was going next time so see you soon.


	6. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets some startling information about his new friend directly from the source.

Sam pulled the Impala up in front of the modest looking two-level home and turned off the ignition. He double checked the address he'd gotten off of the internet and after adjusting his tie, he got out and went up to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited, looking up at the sky grateful that it was a cloudy day today.

"May I help you?"

Sam turned back to find an older woman, possibly in her mid to late sixties, gazing up at him. She looked nice enough.

"Good day, ma'am. I am Agent Page with the FBI and I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about your missing son."

The woman appeared taken aback. "Missing? My son is..."

"If I may?" Sam asked, motioning to come inside. The lady stepped aside just as the sun burst forward from behind the clouds.

"Patti? Who was at the door?" An older man shuffled into the room and stopped at the sight of tall and imposing Sam Winchester gazing at the numerous old pictures on the wall of his entryway.

There were a particularly large amount of a blue eyed, dark haired boy that made him frown and twitch his cheek.

"Chuck, this is Agent Page with the bureau. He says Christopher has gone missing."

Charles Novak frowned. "Cas isn't in Kansas?"

"No sir. If we may talk for a little while, we might be able to glean some information into our case."

Patti led the way into the sitting room where she immediately took a seat on the couch and Chuck settled in a worn armchair. Sam sat on the couch next to Cas' mother, took out his notebook and took a deep breath, allowing his craving to remain under his control.

* * *

"Dean?"

"What?"

Castiel followed Dean's voice up the stairs and into the main level of the house.

"Dean?" he called out again.

"What?" Dean answered, poking his head out of what appeared to be another closet.

There was a large, cardboard box on the ground next to him and Dean was busily tossing different sorts of clothing into it.

"Having a yard sale?" Castiel asked jokingly.

"Yeah. The neighborhood holds one every year and, well, this year we're contributing."

"I was only joking."

Castiel took a seat beside Dean and the other man spared him a glance before assisting Dean, handing him objects and letting the other man tell him what he was keeping or not.

* * *

"What can you tell me about your son?"

Patti began to speak first. "Christopher was always a...special boy. He was fascinated by everything around him. Birds, trees, people. He loved bees - even when one stung him and he cried as his face swelled up. He loved everything in God's creation and it loved him too."

"I have a report that says when he was younger, Chris - if I can call him that - went to visit a child psychiatrist due to, um..."

Mr. Novak answered before his wife could. "The boy got it into his head that I wanted to kill him."

"Chuck!"

"What do you mean," Sam asked.

Chuck sat up in his seat and coughed a little before talking. "Between years two and four, the kid seemed to think I'd hurt 'im anytime I'd go near 'im. Put on a hand on his shoulder and he'd scream."

Patti looked stricken but she was nodding too.

"Okay, but then he got older? He just forget?"

"Kept to himself a lot. Allowed the touches though. Good touches, hugs and the like. I was never rough with the boy though, Agent. Always know that."

"Of course. He grew up."

"Christopher was our only little boy. He loved his siblings..."

"Was it hard for you to conceive?"

Patti and Chuck Novak looked at each other, worried.

"What does this have to do with your case?" Chuck asked.

"Just building a picture here, sir."

"Well, yes. We were told early on in our marriage that having children wasn't on the table. We adopted two beautiful girls and then, one day out of the blue, I was pregnant."

"Says Chris is only in his early thirties which would mean -”

"I was thirty-nine at the time, yes. It was a miracle."

"So, Chris was a miracle."

"We prayed for a child and heaven rewarded us," Chuck said, taking his wife's hand into his own and squeezing it.

"About his middle name..."

Patti appeared uncomfortable for a minute, taking her hand out of her husband’s and scratching her cheek. "It came to me in a dream."

"I see."

* * *

Castiel helped Dean lug the box outside to the curb.

"So, how're you doing man?"

"Pardon?" Castiel asked, thrown for a second.

"Are you still doing okay?" Dean asked again. "Feeling hungry?"

Castiel rubbed his stomach absentmindedly and shrugged his shoulders. "I feel fine. It's weird, I mean, shouldn't I feel something?"

Dean stared at him and also shrugged, mostly to himself. The sun was setting just behind them, giving Cas a weird golden colored glow.

"Maybe you're finally adapting."

Dean pulled him back inside with him and shut and locked the door.

* * *

"Thank you for answering all of my questions. Here's my number. If you hear anything -"

"We'll call," Patti Novak said while nodding. "Thank you Agent. Please, find our son."

Sam bowed his head and went to his car. He sat behind the wheel for a few seconds before starting it and getting back on the road to home. This was just weird. He looked down at the seat beside him where his notes that he needed to show Dean were just sitting.

Cas was...psychic?

There was something about this that was so off. Sam got onto the highway and floored it, hoping to make good time back home.

* * *

_He was floating._

_He could see clouds and birds. Bees buzzed passed him. Suddenly, he felt pain. The pain moved through his limbs and he was falling. Down, down, down he went and his body began to dissolve around him. His mind became nothing and a light shot out from his chest and disappeared just as quickly. He was nothing more than atoms and they rained down upon the earth in a blaze of shooting stars._

Castiel opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. This wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of the stars. The dream had been as vivid and reoccurring for as long as he could remember.

Shifting under his sheets, Cas turned over and tried to fall back into oblivion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go. Filling in the pieces now? This chapter was the whole reason why I ended up rewriting the story. (I didn't even realize that I'd named Cas' dad Chuck until this chapter. I <3 irony) Okay so, if you think things are going well - you're in for a surprise. Next chapter is going to be a doozy. Thanks for reading.


	7. Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust is broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, things are about to go a little downhill. Sorry.

Sam called Dean when he was twenty minutes out, telling him to meet him outside.

The sun had set and darkness spread over the horizon while Dean waited calmly for his brother, sitting on their rarely used front porch with only a magazine and his thoughts. Cas had complained about a headache earlier so Dean knew that he was still inside napping. He hoped the guy was alright but he didn't really feel in the position to really help him. He was just a friend, right?

The Impala appeared at the end of the street and a few minutes later she was pulled up in front of the house. Sam climbed out from behind the driver's side door and went over to his brother, giving him a companionable hug and slap on the back before both men started for the house.

"So? What'd you find out?"

Sam immediately shook his head. "Honestly, I have no idea. Get this..."

* * *

Castiel heard the tell-tale sound of a door slamming shut, meaning that Sam had finally returned from his sojourn. Dean hadn't really told him where he was going but the fact that Sam was gone for almost three days was a bit much to leave hanging. He never said a word though. Every time he'd asked, Dean vaguely said that he was going to "tell him later" - but he never did. Cas didn't really mind though. He was merely a guest in their home for the time being.

_"They don't trust you, Castiel."_

Huh?

Castiel rolled over and stared through his darkened room. He was alone. He knew he was alone. But that voice...? Where did it come from?

_"Find out where he was."_

What?

_"You'd be interested to know it, child."_

Trying to make the least amount of noise possible, Castiel got off of the bed and went to his door, opening it just an inch. A crack of light illuminated a line against his face and body as he sat down and listened.

"...So he's got some serious problems then?" That was Dean talking, trying to figure something out.

"No," Sam answered with a sigh, "Well, not anymore anyway."

Papers ruffled and Castiel leaned in to see the back of the boys' heads as they leaned their heads down to look at something between them.

"He went to a kid's shrink and then, over time, just forgot about it I guess."

Castiel brought his upper lip against his lower teeth and held his breath. They couldn't be...

"In high school things were troublesome too. His mother said that he got into all kinds of trouble - drugs, alcohol. He even served a short jail sentence -”

"But...but, Cas?"

Castiel stifled a gasp and in his haste and nervousness he bumped against the dresser he was resting his back against. The brothers turned around as one and Castiel quickly slammed his door shut and locked it.

* * *

"Damn it," Sam murmured.

He looked to his brother beside him and he too looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. They should've had this conversation upstairs, away from prying ears. They were just so used to not having to hide anything and, visiting the guy staying with them's parents? That was definite hidden material that needed to be done in a more delicate way than simple snooping.

"Dean..."

"I'm on it."

Dean stood and went to Cas' door and gave himself a minute before knocking politely.

"Cas, open up."

* * *

_"They're lying to you, Castiel."_

"Why did they visit my parents?" Castiel asked the voice. "How did they find them?"

_"They're expert hunters, child. They've been trained in seeking the unknown since they were but children themselves."_

But...But why didn't they tell him? He should've...he should've been there. He missed his parents. They had absolutely no idea where he was. He hadn't called them in weeks, being so busy with his studies. And the obvious vampire thing. The knocking continued but Castiel ignored it, concentrating on that buzzing in his head.

"Sam had no right."

_"That's right."_

"Cas,” Dean said, “Come on man. We can talk about it."

Castiel covered his ears and lowered his head to his knees.

_"Come to me, child. I would never lie to you as the brothers have."_

"Cas."

The door flew open and Castiel leapt at Dean and attacked him with punches and incoherent yells before running up the stairs, out the front door and to the end of the street.

"Where are you?" Castiel asked the voice. He nearly collapsed when an image suddenly popped into his head. A magnificent house in the middle of...

_"North Dakota. You will find me in the town of Hoople."_

Castiel looked back behind him and then took off, heading north.

* * *

Sam was upon his brother just seconds after Castiel left the house, concern at the forefront of his mind.

"Dean?"

"I'm okay," his brother said and immediately Sam helped him back to his feet. Dean began to rub at the now sore spot at the back of his head as he looked dismally into Castiel's vacated room.

"He can be anywhere by now."

The brothers locked eyes and Sam reached into his pocket, retrieving his cell phone.

Dean walked into the dark room and sat down on the bed, listening to his brother giving the details to Bobby. He had a bad feeling that this was going to go down this way. Cas heard them talking, figured out that it was about himself and now he was gone, far away from them. They had no idea of to where and no way of figuring it out.

Dean sighed and took his own phone out of his pocket, dialing the first person he thought would be of assistance. Maybe Charlie would be able to help them too.

* * *

The house was one of the largest he'd seen and was surely the grandest. He stood on the bottom steps and looked up to see a figure looking down his eyes at him.

"Are - are you the one?"

"Indeed I am," a silky voice answered, stepping down to come and meet him. As the figure approached, Castiel realized that he recognized him. It hit him all at once.

"You're the one," he whispered, almost reverently. "You're the one that turned me."

He stopped before Castiel and reached out his hands and brought Castiel's head down so that he could kiss him on the top of the head. Like a father.

"Indeed I am. I am your Alpha, the first of our kind."

Castiel felt weak in his very presence and for some reason unknown to him was unable to look him in the eye without feeling shame.

"Do not be ashamed Castiel. I forgive you."

"You - you forgive me?"

"Come," the Father said, taking him by the arm. "Come and I will teach you the true ways of our kind."

Castiel followed him up the stairs and into the house without a single word of protest.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the last update for at least the next week and a half. I'm going away next week so I won't be able to work on editing the next chapter and I'm working for the rest of this week. Thanks very much for reading. I'll see you all soon with the next part.


	8. Adaptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas is getting used to his new surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of my favorite arc of this story so far. Enjoy.

Sitting curled up on the nice, faux leather recliner in his new room, Castiel leaned on his hand and stared hard out the window of his second story room. He watched as a bird flew into the tree next to the window and began feeding its tiny fledglings.

He didn't really feel much of anything. Only, well, safety. It was a little strange to him. This was a different kind of safe. This wasn’t like before, with Sam and Dean. This was...there weren't any words for it.

This felt a little more familial.

It was…good. He was good. He was at home. With his Father.

* * *

Dean was going out of his mind. Four days. Castiel had been gone, had left, four days ago. After waiting an hour to see if the guy came back on his own, they finally got in touch with both Bobby and Charlie. While Charlie took care of the internet surveillance side of things, Bobby helped them with tracking. Currently, Bobby and Sam were checking in town and some of the surrounding ones for Cas' scent. Sam was anyway. Bobby was doing his own part to be an extra set of eyes.

Dean put his head into his hands and found himself whispering, "Please. Please. Please Cas. Let us find you."

Charlie was right. Cas was some kind of missing piece in their lives. He was a good guy and they should've told him what they were doing. Dean's eyes found the paperwork that Sam had brought back with him and he shuffled through it. There were several photocopied pictures of Cas' license, student ID and social security card. Sam's handwritten notes were almost unreadable in his haste to write down enough to look into.

'Freaked out kid?'

'Adopted siblings - one missing?'

And, most unusual - 'Rehab stint?'

Dean knew that they knew next to nothing about the guy staying in their extra bedroom and it was pissing him off more by the minute. He took a tentative sip of a glass of brandy and, once it was empty, flung it across the room at the far wall where it broke into a thousand little pieces.

He could feel his mind shattering as well.

* * *

Sam walked down the stairs first, with Bobby right on his heels. There, they found Dean leaning with his back against the wall and his eyes shut with shards of broken glass by his side.

"Dean? You okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Fine, Sammy - just a little tired." He looked at the two of them with haunted eyes and sighed. "Did you find anything?"

"Not really. Sorry, man."

Dean shrugged and looked away. "That's okay. If Cas would've wanted to be found, we would've found him. First 48 hours, right?"

Bobby took one look at the two of them and went back upstairs to give them some time alone. Sam took a seat on his brother's other side (away from the glass) and both of them stared across the room.

"Should we even be looking for him, Sammy?"

"I don't know, Dean," Sam answered with a shrug. "Maybe we should just give him some time. He'll come back to us if he wants to."

* * *

There was an echoing knock on his large as the ceiling door.

"Come in," Castiel called politely from his seat. He turned to see a girl no older than twelve standing in his doorway, smelling exquisite.

"Our Father wishes to speak to you over dinner, sir."

Castiel nodded to her and got up from his seat before being led through the hall, down the stairs and into a very elaborate looking dining room with a long wooden table and animal heads and elaborate paintings mounted on the walls. Father sat at the very end of the table and a place setting was set up on the left-hand side.

"Ah, Castiel," he said, getting to his feet and coming to meet his son. He gave him a kiss on the forehead and led him to the seat. "I see you changed out of the clothing you arrived here in.”

Castiel looked down at himself. Instead of the Winchester's hand-me-downs, he was now wearing a white button down silk shirt and black dress pants and dress shoes on his feet.

"They were hanging on the doorknob of my bedroom when I awoke from my rest."

Once they sat down, Father picked up and rang a bell next to his plate. A minute later, another girl came into the room with a large pitcher she needed to hold with two hands. She poured red liquid into the goblets at their settings and left without even saying a word to either of them. Gently, Father raised his cup and Castiel, after a moment's hesitation, did likewise.

"To the return of family," Father said.

An image came unbidden to Castiel's mind and _he was suddenly standing in front of the door to an apartment. Sweat was pouring down his face and the person on the other side wasn't answering. He pounded on the door again._

"Son?"

Father put his hand on top of Castiel's and he came out of whatever daydream he'd fallen into. Castiel raised his goblet to his lips and took a sip before drinking the entire cup in a single gulp. Father chuckled.

"My, you must be thirsty."

He rang the bell again and the girl returned to refill his glass.

"Leave the pitcher, child," Father said to the girl.

"Yes, Father," she said and placed it on the table and left.

Castiel picked up his cup again and drank. Unlike the blood the brothers had given him, this was warm and fresh. It tasted sweet and tangy on his tongue and, dare he say, he liked it.

* * *

Bobby had commandeered a bedroom on the upper level for the night while the brothers sat awake in the basement downstairs. Dean was just about to abandon his side of the research and turn on the TV when there was a pinging sound on Sam's laptop and he made a noise.

"What was that?" Dean asked over Sam's typing.

 Sam pulled up his mailbox and there was a new message from Charlie waiting for him. Dean leaned over his shoulder and Sam downloaded the files she'd sent them.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

Sam opened the files and was bombarded with pictures of a mansion in the woods. He put his fingers against his lips and leaned back in his seat.

"Dean, we know this place."

Dean stared at the images one by one, until they came upon the last. Castiel was walking up the steps to the house where a dark-skinned man in a suit was waiting for him at the door.

"Dean..." Sam murmured, looking up at him.

"I know," Dean answered, poking the screen with his finger. "He's with the Alpha." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Thanks everyone for reading. More to come soon.


	9. Once, We Were Innocent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean find out where Cas is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A "Non" is one of the Alpha's non-turned, humans that he keeps in his household. I wanted to give them a title of some kind.

_Liquid fire was pumping alongside his blood through his veins. Everything hurt from the bedding touching his body to the light shining in a single beam through an open slit in the window blinds. There was a moan coming from the left that sounded an awful lot like his brother. What happened?_

_"Shhh."_

_Who was that?_

_"Calm down, child," a voice said. It sounded vaguely familiar but why?_

_A hand touched him against the leg and instantly Dean felt himself relax. He swallowed and sat up, rubbing at his eyes, trying to fully wake up. He felt warm and moved to remove his shirt when he noticed something off about the room. There was something more. There was another presence besides that of his brother._

_A man was sitting in the shadows of their motel room, leaning with his elbows on his knees and he was actually watching the two of them sleep._

_"Creeper," Dean said hoarsely and then coughed._

_The man idly smirked at Dean and began playing with a knife that Dean was sure had been in one of their duffels, flipping it between the blade and the handle, the blade and the handle._

_He didn’t make a move to get up and grab the weapon though. Instead, he wiped away the sweat and possible drool he felt against his mouth but, when he looked down, the back of his arm was covered in some kind of dried up red residue. Dean frowned at it. It took him several minutes to put two and two together but, by the time he got there, he could now hear Sam moving around in his own bed as well. His first reaction was, as always, to check on him._

_"Your brother is fine, Dean,” the familiar stranger said soothingly. “Do not worry.”_

_Dean looked at him, frowned, but got up to check on Sam anyway._

_"Sammy?"_

_He put a hand against Sam’s forehead and moved away some strands of sweaty hair. It felt strangely like they were little children again, Dean checking on his little brother in the middle of the night when he wasn’t feeling well. Sam finally turned over, opened his eyes, and also had blood caked around the sides of his mouth and cheeks._

_"Dean?" he said tiredly._

_Coughing had both brothers turning to once more face the figure on the chair. Sam grabbed onto Dean's wrist tightly and they waited for whatever the man had to say to them._

* * *

"I can't believe it," Sam said for the fourth time.

Dean glared at his brother from where he was seated in front of the computer. "That's the fourth time now. Pick another sentence, or shut up."

Sam smacked his brother on the back of the head just as Bobby was walking down the stairs to meet with them.

"Thank God you're awake, Bobby - we've got a lead."

"Where?"

Dean showed Bobby the pictures Charlie sent and immediately the three of them launched into coming to an agreement about how they were going to get Castiel back to them as soon as possible.

* * *

"Are you full, child?" Father asked.

Castiel put down his drinking glass and nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"Those brothers weren't feeding you as well as they could have. I could tell."

Castiel felt a little like arguing that point but his eyelids slowly began to droop.

"If you want to sleep, that is perfectly all right you know."

"No,” Castiel found himself saying. “I-I want to stay here. With you."

Father smiled and stood, motioning for Castiel to do likewise. He led him out of the room and into a nice sitting room where a roaring fire greeted them.

"Have a seat."

Castiel sat down on the couch in the room and his eyes began slipping shut once again. Before Castiel knew it, he crossed his arms against his chest, leaned his head back and fell asleep.

* * *

"I don't like this plan," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"Neither do we," Dean said with a frown, "but it's the only one we've got. We've gotta do it, Bobby. For Cas."

"Balls. You barely even know the guy!"

"But that's the thing," Sam said. "That's the thing. He has a family out there. He has parents and siblings out there that still, no matter what, love him. Sure, he's a vampire - but so are we."

"None of us had any choice in this," Dean added. “Cas wasn't some mindless freak that needed to be put down. He was normal. We can't let him lose that, Bobby. Not like we did."

Bobby took a breath in and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Okay."

"Okay?" both brothers asked at the same time.

"Okay,” Bobby said. He motioned for them to go upstairs. “Go get him."

"Thanks, Bobby," Sam said.

The brothers moved into action, gathering their things and mentally preparing for the journey they were about to go on.

"You're a good man," Dean added.

"Good or crazy," Bobby asked their retreating backs.

* * *

_He pounded on the door and the neighbor next door shouted for him to knock it off. Castiel growled and snarled like an animal and began pounding on the wood again. He could hear footfalls from within coming closer and closer and the door flew open revealing his older sister Penelope._

_"Cas? What're you...are you okay?" she asked with a heavy voice, having just being forced awake at such a late hour. She wore a fluffy pink bathrobe over her white pajamas with a pattern of colorful fruits on it. Her long blonde hair was pushed back in a messy ponytail and her brown eyes were glassy._

_Castiel lowered his head and took two deep breaths in and out and looked up at her again. "Can I come in, Penny?"_

_Penny looked both ways down the hall before ushering her baby brother inside and shutting the door behind him. In her haste down the hall, she left the lights off as she knew the layout of her place like the back of her hand. She turned the hallway lights on and immediately Castiel flinched at the brightness._

_"Turn it off!" he yelped and immediately, with a sharp gasp, she did as he asked._

_Castiel took more deep breaths to try and calm down before finally turning to look at her. The breaths he took into his nose brought the absolutely tantalizing smell of her blood to him. He wanted it. He wanted it_ badly _._

_"Casti-" she began to shriek before he was upon her, muffling her mouth with his hand and smelling her some more. He lowered his mouth to her neck and felt a second set of teeth painfully slide into place through his gums. The taste of her blood on his tongue sent shockwaves through his body. He drank and drank to his heart's content, until she stopped moving beneath him and that was what finally made him stop drinking. He wiped away the remains from his lips and licked what remained off of her skin. He looked down at her, at his sister, and froze._

_"No," he whispered, getting back to his feet._

_Blackness entered his vision and the next thing he knew, he was outside and running as fast and as far as he could._

* * *

The Alpha watched his child rest and rang his bell. One of his young, nons arrived and bowed before him.

"Can you get a blanket for him?"

"Right away, Father," the young boy said before turning and running from the room.

The Alpha stood and went to his son's side, moving some hair away from his face before leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. Castiel let out a pitiful noise and turned his head the other way. The non-boy meanwhile returned and the Alpha grabbed the blanket and sent him on his way. He wrapped it around Castiel and returned to his seat where another goblet of blood was already waiting for him. He sipped, watching his child rest. A few minutes later, Castiel finally relaxed once again.

"I know who you truly are Castiel,” the Alpha said, moving his glass from one hand to the other.

“I can see further into your mind then even you can. What you are hiding that even you do not know. I can and will protect you - give you the father you deserve over the ones you've already had who have abandoned you."

* * *

The brothers stood 500 yards away from the mansion, gasping in deeply satisfying breaths of air.

"I think we overexerted ourselves," Sam said between breaths.

"Shut up."

As one, they looked up at the mansion on the hill and Dean couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Here we are again."

"Here we are," Sam repeated.

Cas was in there and who knew what he would be like after having been with the Alpha for only a few days.

"Let's do this," Dean said and the two of them nodded, went right up to the door, and knocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of memory stuff this chapter. I wanted to show a little of what it was like for the Winchesters immediately after their turning (a sort of childlike, innocence thing) and what it was like for Cas who forced himself to forget. Cas forgets a lot of stuff. That's important later on. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading the fic. I was considering doing little vignettes about the Winchesters or Cas so, if that's something you want to see, send a comment my way and I'll work something out. Otherwise, thanks very much for reading.


	10. Just One Sip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean "come home"

_They agreed to it._

_There was no other way (at the time) and they went with him willingly. Over several days, the changes to them became more and more pronounced, the further they were away from regular humanity. Faster. Agility. Strength. Thirst for violence._

_They might've been run of the mill hunters before but now. Now, they were better than the best. Better than their father had ever been. They had a new Father now. Someone to teach them and lead them. Someone to talk to and He listened. Someone they could (possibly) love. And damn, if the blood he offered to them wasn't the greatest thing either of them ever had. Even to Sam, the "rabbit food lover". Even he couldn't get enough of what their Father had to offer._

_All they had to do was run a few little errands for Him and they could have free room and board for as long as they wanted. All they had to do was erase a few hunters and bring back a few meatsacks of blood. Unlike the others, their Father knew that he could trust them to do a task since it was something that was grilled into them since before they were His._

_He loved them, just like He loved all of his children._

* * *

Dean knocked again and again no one was answering.

"You think they're still here?" Sam asked, eyeing the area.

"They should be. Charlie's pics were only from a couple of days ago and -"

The door flew open and the brothers had to look around and then down to see a twelve year old girl standing before them.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Um, hi," Sam said, exchanging a look with his brother before moving in front of him. "Is...Is Father home?"

The girl stared at them for several minutes before leaving them alone, standing on the porch. Sam walked back up to his brother and Dean sighed.

"What next?" Sam asked.

"Well, I hate to say it but we'll see what happens. Stay strong, Sam. Be ready."

* * *

Evelyn went into Father's study and he looked up from his desk, startled.

"They've arrived," she said.

Father smiled and looked down at his papers again. "I knew they'd come eventually. _Come inside._ "

* * *

Sam's and Dean's heads perked up and, as one, they walked over the threshold, into the house. Sam closed the door behind him and they waited.

" _You know where my office is._ "

The brothers walked down the halls and finally came upon a door, which Dean knocked on again. The young girl opened the door again and motioned for them to come inside.

"Ah. Sam. Dean. Lovely to see the two of you again under my roof."

The brothers suddenly had control over themselves and were appalled.

"Damn it," Dean murmured.

"What?" Father asked. "Didn't think I could still control you? I created the two of you. You are mine just like countless others. Like my youngest just upstairs."

"Where's Cas?" Dean growled.

"Safe. Living the life he should be living."

"Cas has a family out there who loves him. He needs them."

"Like the sister he slaughtered?"

Dean tried to hide how taken aback he was but he heard even Sam let out a breath of air.

"His first kill you know," the Alpha continued, rising to his feet and coming around his desk to stand before them. Sam and Dean both backed away into the now closed door of the office.  Trapped.

"He put that little memory into the tiniest little box at the back of his mind so he could never remember it. Castiel has a lot of closed boxes in his mind, things he doesn't know that he knows. He's special. Unique. Almost one of a kind."

Sam and Dean both side-eyed each other and, as one, removed syringes from their coat pockets full of a dark red liquid. The Alpha smirked and shut his eyes. Against their will, the brothers began lowering their arms back down to their sides, fighting it the whole time it was happening.

"You boys forget so quickly - I created you."

He grabbed them by the necks with his clawed hands.

" _I_ control you."

He lowered them bodily down to the ground.

" _I_ can make you do whatever I want."

He cut open the back of his hand and waited for the blood to begin to flow over the side. He dribbled the blood into both of their mouths and watched as the boys eyes dulled and their bodies relaxed.

"Welcome home, sons."

* * *

Castiel awoke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. It was late and he'd been having his stars dream again. Throwing on a robe, Castiel answered and no one was outside waiting for him.

"What?"

He finally looked at the front of his door and there was a note posted with his name written on the front. He removed it and brought it inside to read.

_Son. We have a few uninvited guests staying with us so please be on your best behavior. They are tired but will join us for breakfast in the morning._

Others were visiting. Well that was nice. It was just himself, Father and the few vamps and blood sources throughout the house. Hmm, blood. Castiel was feeling hungry after his long rest. He returned to his bed and rang the small bell that was on his bedside table. Ten minutes later there was another knock on the door and Castiel opened it revealing a boy of sixteen.

"Father knew that you were hungry," the child said before walking across the room and sitting in the armchair that was still next to the window.

Castiel looked back to the door and then at the kid. He licked his lips as he crossed the room and stood in front of the child who had a dead, dull stare. His fangs extended into place and he licked his lips again as the child raised his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"I am sorry," Castiel whispered before leaning down, biting in the child's neck and feasting.

* * *

Dean woke up feeling like he'd been struck in the head by a two by four. He felt dizzy and weak - he needed to eat.

"Ugh," he groaned, turning in the bed he was on.

Wait. Bed? He was just... They were just...

"Sammy?"

Dean was in some kind of wood paneled room and lying on, dare he say, the most comfortable mattress ever.

"Sammy?" he called out again.

Dean rubbed his eyes and smelled something wonderful nearby. He looked everywhere until finally -there was a goblet on the nightstand sitting inconspicuously. There was suddenly a pounding in his head. How long had he been out for? Dean grabbed it and drank its contents in a single gulp.

"Oh, that was good," he murmured, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and laying back on the pillow again.

The goblet fell from his slackened grip and clattered onto the floor. Sam never answered him – damn it. Maybe they weren’t as ready as they thought they were. Dean sat up and tried to reign in his sudden claustrophobia. The wood paneled walls felt a little closer than they had just a second ago. Getting off of the bed, Dean went to the door. It was locked. Dean shut his eyes, fell to the floor and thought about everything that had gone wrong in his life ever since he was turned.

* * *

Castiel wasn’t feeling tired. He thought he heard something thumping against the wall in the room next door but it could’ve just been his mind playing tricks with him. Yes, it was probably his mind.

Was he wrong to come here? To agree to this?

 Things….things weren’t so bad at the brothers’ home.

_Knock Knock_

Again?

Castiel answered his door and again there was nobody over the threshold. There was another goblet though. It was filled to the brim and smelled positively heavenly. Bringing it into the room after checking the halls for anyone, Castiel sighed as he shut his door. He’d had his fill with the child earlier so drinking again so soon wasn’t particularly appetizing. No matter how good it smelled.

He put it down on his bedside table and retook his seat on the bed. He flopped back and stared at the ceiling not knowing exactly what he wanted.

It was a funny thing really. Being with the brothers was almost like being with his older sisters again. Sure they butted heads and generally annoyed the crap out of each other and him – but that didn’t mean that they didn’t care.

The goblet was still sitting on the table and, looking at it this time, Castiel felt the pangs of hunger in his being. Just one sip wouldn’t hurt, right?

_”You’re such a silly boy, Chris.”_

_”Chris, time to play dress up!”_

_”Chris, you’ve gotta stop doing these things,” Penny said, leaning over him. “You’re really upsetting Mom and Dad.”_

_”You know we love you more than anything, baby brother,” Melody said. “This is for the best.”_

_"It's okay, Cas. We'll keep you safe here."_

_Everyone was sitting side by side on the couch. Castiel looked to one side and saw Dean and on the other to see Sam. This felt good. It felt right._

Just one sip wouldn’t hurt – but was all of it something he could afford to lose?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still looking for more votes on a prequel story. So far it's looking to be about just Sam and Dean and their beginning. Thanks everyone very much for reading and continuing to come back for more. More fun next week.


	11. Family Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast is an interesting affair when the "late night visitors" arrive at the table

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update. I added more to the chapter than I'd had and I think it came out better than I thought it would. Here is the newest chapter everyone and here is also a taste of the Destiel I've been promising since the beginning. Enjoy.

The following evening, Sam met Dean in the hall and it turned out that their rooms were actually side by side.

"I still don't like this, Dean," Sam murmured as they walked together to the staircase.

Dean looked at his brother, noticing the light missing from his eyes. Things were well and truly screwed.

"Me either. Now shut up, it’s time for breakfast."

They reached the downstairs and knew to head to the right.

"Stay alert," Dean reminded him.

“I will if you will.”

They walked inside and froze at the entrance. Sitting at the table and talking quietly but stopping upon seeing them, were the Alpha and Castiel.

* * *

"You've decided to join us," the Alpha said, motioning off to the two chairs on his left-hand side.

The Winchesters went over to the seats and Sam reluctantly sat down first. Dean stared hard at Castiel for a few second, scanning him, trying to see if anything more skin deep had happened to him.

"Cas," he murmured, totally ignoring the other creature in the room and sitting.

"Ah," the Alpha sighed, "isn't this lovely. The whole family, together again."

He rang his little bell and the girl with the pitcher arrived and poured each of them a full goblet of blood. Father drank immediately and Castiel followed suit. Sam, reluctantly, brought the tip to his lips and sipped a small amount before putting it back down again. Dean left the cup where it sat.

"Not hungry, Dean?" Father asked, pouring some more for himself.

"Nope," Dean answered, crossing his arms to his chest, sniffling and turning his head away like a bratty child.

Father looked to Castiel and smiled before reaching out his hand and sliding Dean’s goblet away from him. Dean made a sound deep in his throat (a whine) before leaning with his head in his arms on the table.

"Well isn't this a lovely family reunion," Father commented.

Castiel nodded and drank more from his own cup. Father smiled and tipped the contents of Dean's portion into his own and what was left into Cas'. Castiel felt Dean's eyes on him but said nothing.

"Well,” Father said taking one more sip and standing, “I have to be going.  Much work to be done.”

He ruffled Castiel's hair and smiled at the brothers before he left the dining room. The doors slammed shut and the three of them were left alone, in silence.

* * *

How was it possible? How was it possible that after little over a week, Dean could barely recognize the guy sitting across the table from him? What the hell was he wearing? Fancy shirt, fancy pants, fancy shoes. He looked so.... _not_ like Cas _._

"Cas," Sam spoke up, "you okay?"

Castiel came down from whatever cloud he was on in the Alpha's presence and nodded.

"I am fine. How are the two of you? Enjoying yourselves here?"

"Enjoying," Dean muttered, slamming his fist on the table. "The hell, Cas?"

"What?"

And damned if he didn't look so adorably confused.

“We came here to bring you back with us. To Kansas."

Castiel's face changed in an instant. "You were keeping me prisoner in that house. I am grateful to be under the care of someone who sees to my needs."

"When was the last time you were out of here then, Cas?" Dean asked. "Five? Six days?"

"I like it here. Father doesn't lie to me."

"Maybe not. But, you've gotta admit you're still just a prisoner in another big house."

Castiel stood so quickly that his chair fell to the ground behind him. Dean also stood and the two of them had a stare off. Sam rolled his own eyes, already tired of it all.

"Do not presume to think you know anything about my wants, Dean Winchester."

Castiel then turned and walked away from the table, opening the door and slamming it shut once he was on the other side.

Sam sighed and also got up. "Come on, Dean. Let's go back upstairs."

Dean waited, staring at the space Cas had just occupied, until Sam was already at the door before following.

* * *

Castiel slammed his bedroom door shut and walked the length of his room until he was at the armchair and then threw himself down onto it. How dare they? How dare _he_? Castiel slouched in his seat and sighed as he stared out the window. The grounds here were rather beautiful. He watched as the wind blew through the trees and a large bird flew by majestically. How he wished he could be with them, among them.

But...

Castiel straightened and watched as a single bumble bee buzzed passed the window, almost looking in to see him. He missed being out in the sunlight. It was one thing, one tiny little thing, that he missed above all else. Being in this fortress of a house was kind of nice. It was so big. So quiet. So, so lonely.

* * *

Dean did another lap around his room, trying to figure out some plan to get Cas back when there was a knock on his door.

"Go away, Sam. I'm busy."

"Dean," Castiel said from the other side, "Can I come in?"

Dean strode across the room and opened the door and there was Castiel looking so angry and so lost at the same exact time that it was almost heartbreaking.

He held onto the angry look though and walked right by Dean, into the room and sitting down on his bed.

"My room has the exact same layout," Castiel said, swinging his feet which were hanging a few inches off of the floor.

"All the rooms are the same, Cas," Dean said, shutting the door and coming to sit.

Both of them sat in the same position, with their heads down looking at their feet.

Dean spoke first, saying, "I'm sorry about lying to you before, Cas. Sammy too."

Castiel looked up at him and, head tilted slightly and bright eyed, asked, "Why didn't you think you could tell me about Massachusetts?"

Dean swallowed and looked up at the ceiling before taking a chance and looking Cas in the eye. "I didn't want to upset you. Parents - they're... You know that you can't go to them, right?"

"Why?"

"Why? You might eat them for one."

Castiel breathed sharply through his nose. "I wouldn't eat my own parents, Dean."

"Didn't stop you from chomping down on your own sister though..."

Castiel straightened in shock and brought a shaky hand to his brow. "I - I barely remember that. I - I...I loved her."

Dean gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before reaching around and pulling Castiel against his side.

“The Hunger wants what the Hunger wants, man.”

"Dean - I want my old life back."

"I'm sorry, Cas but I can't do that for you."

Dean continued to let him lean and Castiel sat up and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Bringing his free hand to the spot, Dean looked down at his friend and gently began moving slightly away. The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes, taking each other in and then Castiel licked his lips and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. Dean watched, didn't move himself, but then raised his hand and stopped Castiel from continuing.

"Cas, not now."

"But..."

Dean leaned over and gave Castiel a kiss on the forehead and touched his hand against the side of his friend's face.

"Not now."

Castiel nodded and rebuttoned the ones he'd opened. He got up off of the bed and went to the door but stopped before touching it.

"When you're ready, Dean, I'll be waiting."

Dean's face broke out into a slight grin and he nodded. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Castiel chuckled and opened the door only to walk right into Sam, fist raised as he was about to knock on it himself.

"Sorry," Castiel said, ducking to his side and going back down the hallway.

Sam looked between one man and the other and asked, "Did I miss something?"

Dean sighed and fell onto his back. "Damn this is a comfy bed. Too bad we've gotta go."

"I know. Bobby's probably having a fit since we haven't called in to him," Sam said after shutting the door and sitting down next to Dean.

"Think we'll get out of here in one piece this time?" Dean asked.

"We'd better," Sam said. “So…what’d I just walk in on?”

“Nothing,” Dean said immediately.

“Dean…” Sam said, smirking at how red his brother’s ears were getting.

Dean waved his finger and shook his head. “I swear to God that if you bring this up to him – “

“You’ll what, Dean? Lie to him? He deserves the truth, Dean. We should never have cause to lie to Cas ever again.”

“Yeah, I know Sammy.” Dean shrunk in on himself and sighed. “Cas is a good guy. I like him, otherwise I would’ve never invited him to live with us.”

“Dean, it was a mutual decision.”

“Dude. Come on.”

“No. Listen to me, Dean. I wouldn’t have let Cas into the house if I didn’t think that there was some kind of shot at showing him that you can have a normal life, a regular life, with our little…condition.”

Dean smirked and patted his brother on the shoulder.  

“You’re all right, Sammy. For a little bitch, anyway.”

Sam pushed back on his brother and laughed. “Jerk. So, what’re we going to try next to make our grand exit?”

“I’m sure that between the two of us we’ll come up with something that’ll work.”

“Like this plan?”

“Hey, it looked good on paper, alright?”

Sam licked his lips and Dean laid back on his bed as they began to think hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again for reading. The next chapter should be up sometime next week. :)


	12. Self-Control isn't Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be taking the next few weeks off from posting so I can work on this and another story I'm currently working on building the universe of. I hope you all enjoy it. This arc is coming to an end but there's still plenty more of the bros and Cas to come.

The boys couldn't attempt any means of escaping for another three days and in that time, they did their best not to fall into any old habits that would've derailed their years of hard earned self-control. Whatever the Alpha attempted against them, (sending them “food”, sending beautiful men and women) the brothers stayed as far away from it as they could.

Save for Cas.

Dean and Sam both knew that all of this was overwhelming to the guy. He was new to all of it. His self- control, while applause worthy, was still not to their level. They were doing their best to reconnect with him and definite progress was being made. It was. And then every evening it was like nothing had happened and they'd need to start all the way at the beginning again. It was torture for all three of them.

And then on the fourth day, an unfortunate surprise landed at their doorstep that would change the course of everything as they knew it.

* * *

Dean did his best to hide his thirst and it was working out to his advantage. So far. He didn't know how much longer he would last though and it killed a tiny little part of him every time that he really thought about it. Jittery, he moved his leg up and down while sitting in his own personal armchair (they were going to look into one for Cas’ own room back at their place once they got the hell out of here).

He waited for Sam's knock on his door and...

_Knock. Knock. Knock_.

Dean took several breaths in and out and answered.

"Ready?" Sam asked.

"Let's move."

The two brothers walked down the flight of stairs, meeting the glassy eyed Castiel at the bottom. Dean was disappointed yet again though he did his best not to show it.

"Morning, Cas," Sam said.

"Good morning," Castiel answered robotically.

The three of them ventured then into the dining room where the Alpha, as always, was waiting for them at the head of the table.

"Good morning, boys," he said almost cheerfully as they took their customary seats by his side.

The Alpha rang his ridiculous little bell and smiled serenely.

"I have a surprise for today."

" **No!** "

Everyone turned as one and, being dragged into the room by two other vamps, was Charlie Bradbury herself. Sam almost moved to go help her but Dean held him back at the very last second.

"What's going on?" Castiel asked, his hands clutching the sides of his seat.

The vampires brought Charlie to the table and left her standing beside the Alpha who raised a finger. Using his sharp, claw-like fingernails, he dragged a line down the side of her cheek. It elicited a pain-filled squeak from her that caused the three of them to flinch as one.

"I found this little waif spying on my grounds."

"Who're...who're you calling a waif, Fugly," Charlie said through clenched teeth.

The Alpha laughed as he used his nail again, this time to cut a line down her exposed, left arm, leaving her gasping in pain.

Dean looked down to see Sam clenching the side of his chair so hard that his hands were turning white. They all watched as the Alpha ran his tongue along the line of blood that he drew and stand up.

"Well I hate to eat and run but I have things I need to take care of. See you boys later."  

* * *

Castiel took several shallow breaths, trying not to think about how hungry he was at this very moment. He was almost half way out of his seat when Dean managed to beat them all to it.

"What're you doing here, Charlie?" Dean asked, putting his hands on her shoulders and closing his eyes.

"I was looking for you. Bobby sent me, said he's been waiting for you for days...what're you doing?"

Dean still hadn't opened his eyes yet and Castiel looked to Sam.

"Dean," Sam said, standing up slowly, "move away from Charlie."

He didn't move.

"Dean?"

Dean’s fangs extended as he lowered his mouth to Charlie's cut arm and began to drink. Charlie fell to her knees and Dean went along to the ground with her and Sam moved into action.

"Dean, no," he said, gripping his brother and forcing him away.

Dean turned and screeched at him, eyes wide and wild and went back to drinking. Sam moved forward again, physically pulling Dean away from her and then, being the brother that he is, sat down on his stomach while Castiel went to check on their friend himself.

"Charlie," he whispered to her, "Charlie, are you all right?"

"Uhh, could be better. Oh. Hey, Blue Eyes. Glad they found you."

Charlie gave him a weak smile and then fainted immediately after.

"Okay,” Dean said to the floor. “I promise. I'll behave."

"You sure," Sam asked.

"I swear on the lives of Belladonna and Rhonda Hurley that I will not eat our friend Charlie."

"Who is Belladonna?" Castiel asked.

"Porn star," Dean and Charlie answered at the same time.

Sam rolled his eyes and got off of his brother. Castiel easily broke the rope and chains binding Charlie and helped her get back up on her feet. Her knees almost buckled beneath her so Castiel had to grab her before that could happen.

"You smell good," Charlie whispered. "Like rainwater and stars."

Castiel stared at her but said nothing.

"Okay, that's it," Dean said with anger and finality, "The Alpha’s gone and I don’t care what happens here anymore. We're leaving."

Sam blew out a breath of air. "Finally."

Charlie pulled herself from Castiel's arms and walked with them. Everyone stopped at the dining room's entrance and turned back.

"You coming, Cas?" Dean asked.

* * *

The Alpha returned late that night and went into his study to look over some paperwork sent to him from several of the other Alphas and nests throughout the world.

"You took your time coming back."

He looked up and, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room under his favorite painting, was his most favorite son.

"Dean," the Alpha said, rising from his chair, "I'm surprised to see you still here."

"Well, the others left but I knew that you wouldn't leave us alone without a formal warning. So, here it is."

Dean walked towards the Alpha and the Alpha walked towards him. They met, face to face, in the center of the room.

"Stay away from me and mine. You might've cursed us but we don't want to live by your rules. We make our own."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. That's all."

The Alpha turned away from him and went back to his seat and sat down. "Very well, Mr. Winchester. You may go."

Dean started for the door.

"But just so you know, Dean, I do know more about Castiel then even you do. He is a very special boy, the likes of which you can only just imagine. Should he discover his truth, your world will never be the same."

Dean clenched the doorknob for a few seconds before turning it and walking outside.

The Alpha looked down at his desk and up again at the portrait. Against a mossy green backdrop, two creatures were locked in a harrowing and eternal fight. One had the other pinned beneath him. One had white wings flush against their back while the other had horns on their head. There was the image of weights in the winged one's fist, a symbol of justice being weighed against the cruel. An eternal, never-ending fight between good and evil. A fight between the two natural enemies – the angels of heaven verses the demons of the pits of hell.

"Ah Castiel, you truly have no idea." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. See you all in September.


	13. Wolf Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get help from a friend when werewolf attacks happen in Nevada

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait. I've been really busy at work and just haven't had the energy to work on this story. Here is the newest chapter. Enjoy.

It takes a few days but eventually everything falls back to their old, familiar routine. Bobby stuck around until he was sure that the three of them were going to live and then he skipped out town, back to his place.

"While you were out, I was looking into a few things. Found something you’d be interested in," Bobby said before leaving, handing Sam a manila envelope.

They waited another day before opening it and it turned out to be a brand, spanking new case for them to look into.

"What's up?" Dean asked, feet on the coffee table and a mug of blood in his hand.

"Well," Sam said, shoving the feet away and reading the paperwork, "It looks like...oh, a werewolf thing."

"Werewolves?" Castiel asked from the nearby recliner.

"Yeah, um, apparently there's something wolf-like going after people in a club in...Nevada."

"Vegas?" Dean asked, instantly sitting at attention.

"Reno."

"How far is Reno to Vegas?"

"Dean. You know we can't do big towns. Now listen - this is on the outskirts of Reno and we've gotta move. The lunar cycle is going to be just right but there’s only a couple of days left."

"Okay."

"And me?" Castiel asked.

Dean grinned. "Good news, Buddy; you're coming along on a real hunt."

* * *

The ride out wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was strange, riding in an automobile for the first time in so long. It felt a little bit more claustrophobic than it used to be. It was probably because he was so used to the speed running.

They arrived at the first motel in Reno that they saw - and it was hideous.

"Tell me we are not stopping here," Castiel said, not exiting the car.

Dean got out first and went towards the main office while Sam went around to the trunk and began gathering their supplies that they'd packed into it. Dean came back quickly with the ring of the key twirling on his finger.

"Come on, Cas. Shake a leg,” Dean said, smacking the window with his free hand.

"What've I gotten myself into," Castiel asked himself as he got out of the car and followed them to one of the rooms.

Dean smiled back at them and opened the door and the three of them, as one, jumped back because the smells alone...

"I am not staying here," Castiel said, turning back to the parking lot.

Dean grabbed him on the arm and pulled him inside with him. The smells were some of the most horrible scents he'd ever experienced. Immediately, Castiel put his hand over his mouth to prevent anything from entering his nose.

"It's not that bad," Dean said through clenched teeth.

"Speak for yourself," Castiel mumbled back through his hand.

"This is one of the worst ones, Dean," Sam commented with a sigh.

"Ha."

"Shut up, Cas," Dean said, "We're staying."

Castiel watched from the same spot as the brothers went about making the room their own. They painted what appeared to be sigils on a few surfaces and then carefully put lines of salt around any entrance into the room. When everything was in place, to Castiel anyway, he felt like he was trapped in the room (preferably nowhere near anything that smelled as bad as he believed) and he really, upon pain of death, needed to avoid the lines.

"Bed or cot?"

"Impala."

"Cas..."

"Cot. It smells the least awful."

Dean and Sam looked at each other and then took a tentative sniff each. After everything was all sorted out, Dean set up the laptop on the small table the room had to offer while Sam fiddled around with his phone.

"Are you texting someone?" Castiel asked from the other seat beside Dean at the table.

"Yeah. She's an old friend who might be able to really help out out... Dean, she says she'll be here within the hour."

"Awesome. Thank her from me."

"Who are you talking about?" Castiel asked.

* * *

Dean explained the situation and Castiel felt a kindred spirit in her story.

"So she's been a werewolf ever since, huh?"

"Yup. Nice girl but, well, fate had other plans for her."

Someone knocked on their door then and Sam went over to peep through the hole.

"Sam also kind of has a thing for her."

"Shut up, Dean." Sam opened the door and, standing just over the salt line, was a very attractive woman with long dark hair and a bright smile on having seen the man standing before her.

"Sam," she said as Sam wiped away the line slightly so she could cross. She gave him a tight hug and then walked further inside and smiled some more. "Hey Dean."

"Madison," he said, crossing to her and giving her a hug too.

"So, who's the new guy?"

"This is Cas. Cas, meet Madison."

"It's a pleasure," Castiel said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Madison shook it and took a seat at the motel room table.

"So, tell me about this case."

Madison, Dean and Sam all went through the details, most of which just seriously went over Castiel's head.

"You have eaten right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Weirdest thing though but, for some reason, I'm still kind of hungry. I can hold onto it, don't worry about that. I won't be any problem."

"Well, good. We like you Madison, we don't want to have to shoot you in the head with any silver bullets."

Madison and Sam both laughed at that and Cas just couldn't see the humor in it.

"All right then. I've heard of this club - very exclusive and you'll need me to get into it. I have a change of clothes out in my car. You guys need to get changed too."

"Changed?"

"Don't worry Cas," Dean said, giving him a smile, "I think you'll look awesome in assless chaps."

* * *

Thankfully, the chaps thing was just a quip. Dean and Cas walked side by side into the full and very hot nightclub. Thankfully they were dressed the same as most of the other guys in there - black shirt, black slacks.

"I haven't been in a place like this since high school," Castiel shouted over the music. "They had the best drugs in the bathrooms."

"Wait, what?"

Castiel shrugged and didn't say anything else.

"You see Sam and Madison?" Dean asked loudly.

 The two men scanned the room and Castiel pointed them out.

"Over there. Dancing."

"Oh, this I've gotta see."

The two of them went out to floor where Madison was mostly gyrating to the music around Sam who mostly stood in place and looked totally out of his element. Sam was dressed the same as Dean and Cas except, for fun, Madison put a black dog collar around his neck attached to a (faux) silver chain that she had wrapped around her wrist.

"Sense anything?" Dean asked.

Madison sniffed the air and breathed in while looking behind her. "There's something over there."

Dean nodded and he and Castiel went to investigate. They came upon an emergency exit that they used and immediately the scent of blood assaulted their noses.

"That way," Dean pointed, grabbing his pistol from the waistband of his pants.

Carefully they turned and peeked around the corner. There was an overlarge man struggling and whimpering as a snarling, other guy leaned over him.

"Hey," Dean shouted, pointing his gun at the standing man.

The guy looked away from his meal and Castiel jumped back at the sight of its face, its icy pale blue eyes and large sharp, wolf like teeth. It began advancing towards them, claws before it and the two men really had no choice but to back away.

"Dean," Castiel whispered, grabbing onto his friend's shoulder.

Dean tightened his hold on his gun and got ready to fire when another shot rang out and the werewolf collapsed to the ground. Dean and Cas looked up to see Sam and Madison standing in front of them, having shot the werewolf from behind.

"Dude, you stole my moment," Dean said angrily.

Sam merely shrugged and put his gun away.

* * *

Later, around daybreak, the four of them stood at the doorway, back in their regular clothes. Madison had her overnight bag in her hand and proceeded to hug Sam for an inordinate amount of time before finally letting go.

"It was nice seeing you boys again. Keep in touch," she said, looking at Sam in particular before leaving the room and going to her car in the parking lot.

They waited until she pulled away before shutting their door and sighing in relief.

"So, bed and we'll head out later?" Sam asked.

"You know it," Dean said, moving towards his bed and collapsing without even pulling down the sheets.

Sam went into the bathroom to tidy up and Castiel took a seat on his chosen sleeping apparatus.

"You did okay for your first time out, Cas," Dean said, still lying down on the bed.

"Thank you," he said. "Perhaps next time I will be able to play a more active role in affairs."

Castiel leaned his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling until his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.

_There was a man leaning over him, much like the werewolf was leaning over his victim. Castiel tried to escape but his hands were trapped by his sides, his body felt as though it weighed a ton._

_"Who are you?"_

_Their face was covered by the shadows and there was something overlarge against the figure's back._

_"Who are you?" Castiel asked for a second time._

_Pinpricks of golden light took on the form of the shadow creature's eyes. A hand reached out and touched Castiel in the middle of his chest, just over his heart. And then the hand went straight into his body and Castiel gasped in pain._

Castiel sat upright and breathed in and out deeply. Peering across the room, Castiel was pleased to see that the brothers were still fast asleep and no one had heard him yet. Turning over under his sheets, Castiel felt a strange feeling deep within him. It felt like, whatever that was, touched his very soul.


	14. Doubles

The scene from the other night played on rewind in his mind as he lay in bed into the wee hours of daytime.

The man's body was drenched in blood all thanks to the claws of the werewolf that cut into him so deep that their victim couldn't in the end be saved. Madison had been the one chosen to deal with the body as the three of them refused to go near it. Cas had wanted to (how he _wanted_ to) but Dean - he held him back.

Unbidden, the Alpha's voice came to his mind.

_"We feed on the blood of the living. The meal is never quite adequate for we are always thirsting for it. It is not our fault, it was just how our maker created us."_

Never mind the fact that there was something above the ancient alpha that actually created their species, the fact remained that what he said was true. Cas was hungry. Being back with the brothers meant back to the cold, refrigerated blood of before.

It was disgusting.

How could the brothers enjoy that, that _filth_?

Castiel groaned and turned over under his sheets. Before he knew it, he was drifting back to sleep again, dreaming about nothing and everything he wanted.

* * *

The days after the werewolf hunt were quiet and that left everyone thinking about just where their next case was going to be taking them. Dean finally found a good one a few hours away.

"Guy claims his double killed his girlfriend."

"What's so strange about that?" Castiel asked at the time.

"Guy claims he doesn't have a twin."

The three of them piled into the Impala and drove off to the small town of Louisburg, Kansas, just under an hour away from them.

"Alright, I'll check us in. Be right back," Sam said, walking towards the motel office.

Castiel and Dean remained standing at the trunk of the Impala, side by side with their arms crossed against their chests. There was a park right directly across the street from them. It was nearly seven o'clock at night and there were a few stragglers out and about in the fading light. Castiel felt an itch in his gums and closed his eyes, taking several unnecessary deep breaths of air.

"You all right, Cas?"

Castiel turned to see Dean, a concerned look on his face. How does he do it?

"I am...tired."

Dean stared at him for a second longer until Sam appeared with their room key. This room was only marginally better than the last one but at least the smell wasn't as awful.

"Okay, let's go through the notes and come up with a big picture," Dean announced while throwing down his bag. "We'll have this whole thing planned out by bedtime." 

* * *

_Why did we go with the first plan?_

Castiel asked himself that as they rounded the corner, all three of them with pistols in their hands, Dean looking the slightly more beaten up of them.

"This plan sucks," Dean said.

"Three shifters," Sam said. "Three shifters working together."

"Brothers," Dean said. He and Sam shared a look.

 After interviewing the victims (it turned out to balloon up to five after several hours of internet articles) and using their brains, their most logical solution had been just a shifter. _One_ shifter. Two wasn't something neither Sam nor Dean had ever encountered. Three was unthinkable all together. And the familial angle...

"Come out," a familiar voice called, causing Dean to flinch, "Come out, wherever you freaks are."

Dean tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans and pulled out a silver knife (by the handle) from his back pocket.

Sam nodded to him and Dean took the lead while he and Castiel played backup. The six figures met in the center of the factory floor. Three duos of identical men: two Deans, two Sams and two Castiels. It was obvious from the jump that everyone was going to split into their pairs.

Dean and his doppelganger circled around each other before Dean moved in for the attack, easily slicing the other with his knife. While it was distracted, Dean dove in for the kill, easily stabbing the shifter right in the heart, ending its life.

As the shifter crumpled to the floor, a shot rang out. Dean turned to find that Sam had easily dispatched his own look-alike leaving only one left. But Castiel and his double weren't in the room with them.

"Where's Cas?" Dean asked, running to his own brother.

"I think they're outside," Sam said, just as another gun discharged, causing them both to look towards the nearest door.

"Cas," Dean called, running outside with Sam right at this heels.

Lightning cracked overhead, illuminating the alley behind the abandoned factory.

"Cas?" Dean yelled again.

"...Dean."

The brothers ran and turned another corner, to the front of the building where one Castiel was lying dead while another was standing over him, holding a gun in his hands, his hands shaking. The alive Castiel turned his head to face the brothers and, with a hollow shudder, dropped his weapon so it clattered to the ground.

Dean looked back at his brother and walked forward to Castiel who was stumbling over to him. He walked just slightly to the left of Dean before leaning over and emptying the contents of his stomach. Dean put a hand on his back and rubbed small circles, hoping to make him feel just a little bit better.

* * *

By the time that they got back to their place, Cas was long ago passed out in the back seat and Sam himself looked like he was about to do the same.

"Home sweet home," Dean said, turning off the ignition. They both looked behind them at their sleeping friend.

Sam sighed. "Think he's going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Dean said back truthfully.

Who knew what kind of affect this would have on him.

"Why don't you head inside," Dean said. "I'll bring him in."

"You sure?"

Dean nodded and Sam opened his door and got out. Dean reached out to Castiel and just barely prodded him on the shoulder when the guy woke up with a sharp inhale.

"Easy. Easy, Cas."

It took Castiel a few seconds to come back to himself. He looked around the interior of the car, almost not even remembering where he was.

"Dean?"

"Hey Cas; you okay?"

Castiel opened his mouth and then shut it. He opened it again and, slowly, said, "I killed a man."

"I know."

"No, but Dean, he...he was only trying to help his family."

Dean frowned. "How do you know?"

"He told me. He told me just before...before I _shot_..."

His voice had risen at the simple word and Dean jumped as the guy began thrashing.

"Cas; hey, hey - calm down."

Castiel looked at Dean and felt tears running down his face. "Dean, this is the second person I've killed in a month. I-I..."

Right. Cas' first kill.

"You remember?"

The tears began to increase and Castiel let out a choked sob.

"Dean, she was my sister. She - I looked up to her. She got me to move out to Kansas because this was where she went to school and she had a good job at the hospital. She - she was going to get married. She was seeing this guy, a nice, good guy and he told me on the sneak that he was going to pop the question on her birthday which was last week and, god…"

Dean looked back at the house before getting out of the car and opened the backside door. He climbed into the seat beside him and put is arms around Castiel, pulling him in for a hug. Castiel cried some more on Dean's shoulder and Dean let him for as long as he wanted. When he felt him calm down, Castiel pulled away and wiped away his eyes.

"I remember my first kill was a girl too," Dean said. He leaned back and put his arm around the back of the seat.

"Sam wasn't there. I don't know what he was doing at the time. We were both sorta still panicking about being turned at the time. The Alpha gave us his offer, room and board, and we said we were going to think about it. While Sam was washing off the blood on his face, I left the motel on my own. There was this dingy little bar right next door and I went inside, knowing I needed a drink. In the corner, there was this...her name was Lindsay. She was a waitress probably on her break and sitting in the corner texting her friend or something. I don't know. I didn't care at the time but god _damn_ it I was thirsty. She saw me, standing by the doorway and, I don't know, she came over to me and before I knew it we were outside and the hunger was just building and building and building and then...and then, it was over."

Somewhere in the process, Dean's hand ended up around Castiel's shoulders and Cas' head was against Dean's side.

"What happened to the body?"

"I don't know. Someone probably found it eventually. I told Sammy, told him what I did, and we were out of there before daybreak, heading for North Dakota."

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"I like the taste of fresh blood better than that refrigerated crap."

Dean chuckled and put down his arm. Castiel smiled and sat up.

"Come on and let's go inside, have some of that crap and, and we'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait again. Been really busy at work and finally had the brainpower to sit down and reread. Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based on the television show Supernatural. I do not own the characters listed in this story and am doing this purely for amusement. No money is being made for my having written this piece. 
> 
> I am sorry to those of you who enjoyed the first version of this story but I just could not continue it the way it was. For me, reading it back, it was just a big jumbled mess and so after a great deal of consideration I went back to the drawing board and started all the way back at the very beginning. I've already got three chapters finished with a new plotline and, if things go well, it'll be better than it was before.


End file.
